Barely Alive // TWD // Daryl Dixon

Chapter 14 -- Past

"The past beats inside me like a second heart."

– John Banville, The Sea

June 29th, 1997 – Thirteen years before the apocalypses

Six-year-old Cecilia was sat in front of her doll house that was almost as big as her. She had one blonde Barbie in her left hand and one brown-haired 'Ken' in her right hand.

It was Sunday, so the little girl was still in her green pyjamas, even when it was almost midday. There were more dolls inside her house, including two kids dolls, three dogs and two kittens.

After a while, Cecilia looked down at the dolls with her bright blue eyes and just sighed. She liked her dolls but didn't enjoy them for long.

Two years ago one of her cousins, Bobby, who was only two years older than her, gave her about fifty toy cars and she loved them ever since. Bobby's older brother, Andrew, gave her his old track race car after he got a new one for Christmas, Cecilia had it next to her doll house.

She smiled when she saw it and crawled towards it, making her beautiful golden curls bounce in front of her face, she sat in front of it, putting one curl behind her ear and then she grabbed the bag where she had all her toy cars.

Her favourite was a red Mini Cooper her mother had gotten her for her last birthday. She grabbed it as soon as she spotted the car and started playing with her toys.

When Carol opened the door of her only daughter's room, she saw her lying on her stomach, mumbling things as she played, she smiled at the little girl as she leant against the light green painted wall, it was previously painted lilac but Cecilia's favourite colour was green and Carol painted her room green after she turned five.

Carol watched her daughter for a few more minutes, loving how she was lost in her own world. She kept mumbling words Carol barely understood and heard. Carol decided she had intruded enough so she slowly closed the door and knocked, before opening it once again, pretending she hadn't been watching the little girl.

Carol opened the door quickly enough to see Cecilia turning her head to look at the door, and when she saw Carol she grinned, stood up and ran to the woman to give her a tight hug.

"Mummy! Mummy!" she exclaimed just before Carol wrapped her in her arms and slowly lifted her up and rested her on her hip as the girl had her small arms around her neck.

The girl was just above average in height, being the third tallest girl in her class but she was really thin and didn't weigh much, Carol could still carry her easily.

"What do you think if we get ready and go out for lunch with Aunt Lauren, and Bobby, Andy and Jennifer?" Carol asked her. "Would you like that Annie?"

It was not until years later when she stopped using her first name and started introducing herself with her second name 'Cecilia', she wanted a new start with a new name, so, during all her childhood and some of her teenage years she was either called Annika or any of its diminutives like Ann, Annie or Anna.

"Yes!" Cecilia, or Annika, as she was called then, exclaimed happily at her mother.

"Let's get ready then."

Carol's shirt was a bit big for her so when she bent down to put Annika back on the floor, the girl could see inside of it and saw a big purple bruise under her collarbone, her smile vanished and was replaced by a frown.

"How did you get that?" Annika asked as she pointed at the spot, Carol looked down and froze when she realized her bruise was revealed, she stood up quickly and made sure her shirt covered her bruise.